Oswald, Andrew J. and Powdthavee, Nattavudh. (2008) Does happiness adapt? : a longitudinal study of disability with implications for economists and judges. Journal of Public Economics, Vol.92 (No.5/6). pp. 1061-1077. ISSN 0047-2727

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Abstract

This paper is an empirical study of partial hedonic adaptation. It provides longitudinal evidence that people who become disabled go on to exhibit considerable recovery in mental well-being. In fixed-effects equations we estimate the degree of hedonic adaptation at — depending on the severity of the disability — approximately 30% to 50%. Our calculations should be viewed as illustrative; more research, on other data sets, is needed. Nevertheless, we discuss potential implications of our results for economists and the courts.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	People with disabilities, Adaptability (psychology), Happiness, Hedonic damages
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Public Economics
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0047-2727
Date:	7 January 2008
Volume:	Vol.92
Number:	No.5/6
Page Range:	pp. 1061-1077
Identification Number:	10.1016/j.jpubeco.2008.01.002
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/311

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